


Too fast

by Moloko_and_cookies



Series: Ineffable [3]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Fluff, Fluff without Plot, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-27 21:58:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19798597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moloko_and_cookies/pseuds/Moloko_and_cookies
Summary: Crowley and Aziraphale are spending a night together before Warlock's birthday. Aziraphale discovers that Crowley was keeping a little secret.





	Too fast

Dining together at fancy places had become a common habit for Crowley and Aziraphale since the day they had decided to take part in Warlock’s upbringing to avoid the Armageddon. They enjoyed the food and the wine, indeed, but what they really loved was spending time together, talking and sharing what they had taught the young antichrist. The liquor and the food were just an excuse for two friends and former ‘enemies’ to gather at a table and talk for hours. They usually stayed until the restaurant closed, and then they would end up at Aziraphale’s bookshop or at Crowley’s flat, drinking until they had to sober up. The day before Warlock’s eleventh birthday was one of those nights, at Crowley’s flat. It was almost the hour of dawn; their jackets had been thrown carelessly on a chair hours ago and there were several empty bottles on the table and on the floor.

“You know?” said Crowley, who was sprawled on the sofa; his feet on Aziraphale’s lap, but the angel didn’t seem to care too much —probably because the amount of alcohol he had taken clouded his senses—. “I think we’re good godfathers or whatever we are… Fuck it, we are the best! But when the time comes tomorrow, I’ll be glad that this shit has ended. We’ll be able to go back to our normal lives again… I might pay you a visit, angel, you know I love your wines… Or I could tempt you to something delicious…” He finished, looking at his friend from above his dark glasses.

“Stop saying that!” Aziraphale mumbled. He avoided looking in Crowley’s direction and brought the glass to his mouth, but he couldn’t hide a slightly mischievous smirk. “Just say you invite me…”

“Come on, angel, where’s the fun in that? You are an angel; I am a demon. I must tempt; you should resist temptation. That’s fun!” Crowley gestured so exaggeratedly he spilled half the content of his glass on his shirt. Seeing the scene, Aziraphale couldn’t help but giggle. “See? Even you find it funny.”

Aziraphale nodded, distracted. His expression had changed in a second, from an amused smile to a gloomy frown. His eyes were barely able to focus and they had that characteristic glassy appearance of drunken eyes. All of a sudden, he took a deep loud breath.

“Anyway… that will only happen if we…you know… if we do things right… and if we don’t get punished. Which I think won’t happen, by the way. I mean… we are defying… them…” As he talked, Aziraphale pointed up with his finger. “And them…” This time, he pointed down. “We are working together. They won’t like it.”

Crowley took of his glasses and glared at the angel in disbelief. Five seconds before they were joking about temptation and now the angel talked about being punished by Heaven and Hell? Aziraphale didn’t seem to notice; he was too busy trying to catch the last drops of wine from his glass.

“Why do you say that now? Everything’s going according to the plan… our plan… I can’t believe how depressing you can be sometimes, angel…” Crowley snorted. Aziraphale budged, as if he had realised just then that Crowley’s feet were on his knees and wanted to get rid of them. “Oh. I’m so sorry; I’m so sorry, angel…” Crowley rushed to calm him down. “I didn’t mean that… I should sober up… Well, we both should, don’t you think?” The demon’s voice sounded really worried. He shifted his position on the sofa, sitting beside Aziraphale, and throwing his arm around the angel’s shoulders. “Listen to me, angel… I know you’re worried, but nothing bad is going to happen to us as long as we work together…”

“You’re right, my dear. We should sober up.” Aziraphale stammered, surprised by Crowley’s closeness. Then, they closed their eyes and, in a few seconds, their bodies got rid of all the alcohol in them. Miraculously, all the wine stains had disappeared from their clothes, the floor and the sofa. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking clearly. But the truth is…”

“You worry too much, angel.” Crowley finished, leaning his back on the couch again. “And alcohol doesn’t help.”

Aziraphale agreed awkwardly and sat back, just like Crowley had done before. They stayed silent for a moment, still recovering from the state of drunkenness, each of them lost in his thoughts.

The lights of the flat were off, since angels and demons didn’t need artificial light to see in the dark because their eyes are prepared for that —especially demons’ eyes—. The only source of light at that moment was a window behind the sofa where Aziraphale and Crowley had spent the night. The sun had barely started to rise, and the pale light of the moon and the stars reflecting on his eyes made Crowley look like an actual snake waiting for some distracted mouse to devour it. He was a demon, and therefore, he was supposed to be creepy, after all. Crowley knew that humans would feel —at least— uncomfortable if they ever saw his eyes directly, and it was even more likely that they would run away. That was the reason why he always wore dark glasses. Well… that, and also the fact that they made him look incredibly cool. Aziraphale, however, had never reacted negatively to the sight of Crowley’s demonic appearance. Perhaps it was because they knew each other since the beginning of times and Aziraphale was already accustomed to those reptilian eyes. For Aziraphale they weren’t strange, or creepy, or disgusting; actually, he rather liked them. They were Crowley’s true nature, and the fact that he felt comfortable enough to show it when he was with Aziraphale, his supposed enemy, had a special significance for the angel. There were limits, however, and Crowley had broken them. Aziraphale couldn’t take those eyes out of his mind after seeing them so close to him, much closer than they had ever been before.

“I thought you didn’t read.” Aziraphale said, trying to escape from the spiral of his thoughts. All of a sudden, Crowley’s intense stare made him uncomfortable, so he jumped from the sofa and walked towards a solitary shelf, hidden behind one of Crowley’s lush plants. “Oh, dear…. I remember telling you about these books…” Aziraphale turned around and startled when he saw Crowley already standing by his side.

“I may have lied… What I meant was that I only read books that have been personally recommended to me by my bookseller of choice, who also happens to be my best friend and an angel. I don’t trust anybody else on that matter, angel.” Crowley explained with a true, friendly smile. Aziraphale was about to say something, but he closed his mouth and blinked before opening his mouth again, only to close it once more. His cheeks had turned pink, Crowley noticed, although he wasn’t sure whether it had been his unexpectedly emotional —in Crowley’s terms— speech or the fact that only a few centimetres separated them.

“I’m sorry.” The angel managed to utter in a very low and husky voice. Crowley tilted his head, unsure of what the angel was apologising for. “I mean… You have always considered us friends. And I… well, I guess I did too, but I always denied that to myself.”

“You don’t have to apologise, angel.” Crowley’s voice was softer than Aziraphale had expected; he had never heard that tone. “Do you think I didn’t know that? After all these centuries you have stayed with me, despite everything you risked.” Aziraphale smiled while he listened, but still avoided looking at Crowley; instead, he examined the books. “I know how strict rules are in Heaven, same as in Hell, by the way. The only difference between you and me is that you actually care about those rules. I could say that I’ve got used to your angelic righteousness.”

“Now… back to the books…” Aziraphale was trying to end that awkward moment by casually talking about books, his favourite topic besides food, so Crowley shook his head and tried to go back to the conversation. “Why did you read these? I mean, what made you choose them? I’ve told you about thousands of books.”

“It was your passion.” Crowley answered after thinking for a few seconds. He said it in a casual way, but the word startled Aziraphale. “The way you talked to me about them. I thought that they are important to you, that they mean something to you, so… I decided to read them. That’s what friends do, isn’t it? They share what’s important for them. It’s like… a part of you.”

“So… like your plants?” Aziraphale asked innocently. “You are a demon. You should like to destroy things, but here you are, living in a real rainforest. I’ve never tried gardening, should I try? As an angel, I should be good at… you know, creating life and making things grow and… live…”

“Angel… no offence but we both know that you are too forgetful and messy for that. Besides, I’m sure you lack my… gardening skills. You’d be surprised if I told you why these plants are so green and luscious.”

They both laughed. Crowley was marvelled by the sight of the angel laughing; it had to be the most celestial thing he had witnessed in a very long time. Following an impulse, he got closer to the angel and brushed his hands with his fingertips, as if he were asking for permission to touch him. At first, Aziraphale’s fingers responded to the caress while the angel fixed his gaze on Crowley. It only lasted a second, the time it took Aziraphale’s brain to process what was happening. Then, his body stiffened, he took his eyes off of Crowley and stepped back.

“Crowley… I…” For the third time in a night, Aziraphale tried to apologise. Luckily, Crowley was faster and finished for him what he was trying to say.

“I know… too fast?” Crowley was thinking about that time in the sixties when Aziraphale had given him the flask of holy water. Aziraphale nodded with a shy smile. "It's okay, angel. Now..." As much as it hurt him not being able to get closer to Aziraphale and show him what he really felt, Crowley respected the angel’s decisions. No matter the kind of relationship they had, they still had one another and that was the most important thing for Crowley. Also, Aziraphale hadn’t said no, just that it was too early for him. There was no rush for them, since they were immortal, so why should Crowley worry? A few decades before, Crowley had thought that he would end up tempting Aziraphale with a bit of lust. Yet, he underestimated the power of heavenly love. The strength of Aziraphale’s aura, his mere presence, so pure and lovable, was too strong not to fall for it. Not even a demon could resist it, or at least Crowley couldn’t. Even if he could, he wouldn't want to resist it. 


End file.
